Pick the Right Pendant for Your Kitchen Island

Don't settle for bland builder-grade pendant lights when you can have your pick of colors and kinds to match your kitchen's style

Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel and design. I just completed my first remodel, turning my crumbling 1941 kitchen into a beauty of grays, whites and natural wood. If I could, I'd sleep on the countertop. That's how much I love it.
You can also read my parenting blog on Baby Center http://blogs.babycenter.com/author/sschoech/

Houzz Contributor. I am a former magazine editor specializing in travel... More

It seems as if every kitchen remodel in every corner of the globe now includes an island or peninsula. And over most of those islands and peninsulas hang three little droplet lights.

Builder-grade pendant lights have become as predictable as maple and granite. And it's a shame. Because the lights that hang over your kitchen peninsula are a great opportunity to amp things up a bit and bring a whole lot of style into the mix. Think of them as your kitchen's jewelry — a little bling to liven up the outfit.

Here are 19 pendant lights of different styles. Some are more subdued, some are major scene stealers, but none of them are same old, same old.

Globe pendants are extremely popular right now (as they were in the '70s) and might be passed over on first consideration because of their size. But have no worries — you can see through them! Even in a smaller kitchen they don't overwhelm.

Lights, camera, action. These classic stainless lamps remind me of lighting used in film production. They have a crisp, clean look (as long as you keep them polished) and look like they were made for real cooks.

There are a lot of horrible colored pendant lamps out there; you see many of them hanging in the lighting aisles of big-box stores. But there is a better way to get some color. These four bowl-shaped lamps in four different shades add little dollops of design pizzazz. Hanging them at different heights makes them stand out even more.

Like color, size scares a lot of people. But there is no reason overhead pendant lamps have to be teeny tiny (except maybe very low ceilings). Going oversize makes a huge impact and can really liven up an otherwise plain room.

Oversize cube lights mimic the lines in the rest of the kitchen.

These big silver domes most often hang in the middle of a room, but I love them as over-the-island accent lamps.

I just love chandeliers in kitchens. They are so pretty and unexpected, and they can really soften up all those hard lines and smooth surfaces. This modern version keeps the clean lines of the room but adds sparkle and a touch of the feminine.

Those blue morrocan lights just slay me - gorgeous. The fact that pendant lights are so ubiquitous is one of the factors that lead us to leave them out of my new kitchen. We've got ample natural light by day, and cans with LED lights in the ceiling by night. I may add an actual lamp to the peninsula surface to the extent I feel I need more light at night.

Samantha - fun idea book! Thanks for featuring one of my projects with the retro pendants. I really like the flexibility of the weighted pulley lamps that you show. For more info about this kitchen renovation, take a look at the project page.

I need help! I am remodeling my kitchen and will include pot lights, and under upper cupboard indirect lights, but my work area is a U shape, ie, two peninsulas. the area is not large, and I am wondering if I use pendents, if I can hang two over one peninsula only, ie the one that the stove is in and that over looks the kitchen table and then another over the table or if I am better to have one over the table and have a single larger light in the centre of the two peninsulas. The pictures are of the kitchen before remodelling, but the counters will remain in the same place.

Should your pendants match your table light in an open concept kitchen/ dining...I have a silver and glass chandelier over my table but I was thinking I would do pendants with black to go with the black leaded glass cabinets. Any ideas?

our kitchen is still in the design phase but on paper we have the range in the island and the sink/dishwasher against the wall. Two questions arise: 1) how would you incorporate a hood over an island, and/or 2) should we put the sink/DW in the island as most of the above pictures seem to do, and the range against the wall. I am leaning towards that, it seems more practical. Any thoughts greatly appreciated!

Liz357
Hard to say without seeing the plan, but whenever possible, I put neither in the island! Much depends on how you cook, whether you have small children, what type of cook and what type of hood you are planning, along with the size of the island top. When all of cook/clean function can be located on the walls, an island is free for prepping, gathering, serving. And a lot of drawer storage! Maybe you can take a picture of your plan and upload it. Very helpful.

Want to add one thing on pendant lighting. If you are a cozy person, a "warm light" person, know that a solid shaded pendant that forces light DOWN onto the island will feel warmer and will also light the island top better. I have a project where the glass globes were already chosen by the builder/previous owner (second photo) and my client likes them. I DETEST. They look dusty 24/7, and the light escapes up and around and everywhere. They read chilly/dreary/ cold/dusty on a late afternoon gray day. You're warned! Ps... you will notice the same thing happens on lamps. The larger/wider/more open the top of the shade, the more light inside escapes and "scatters". A smaller top diameter dimension forces it down.

I purchased two clear glass pendants for my kitchen remodel. I love their 'look', but have already ordered new pendants. They didn't give enough light! Suggested bulb was a 40 W! Not enough light over a kitchen island.

Here is the kitchen (and pantries) in plan. The island faces east, looking over the dining/great room, which looks out over the ocean. The kitchen isn't huge, but the house itself isn't that big, and this is a vacation home. We frequently eat out, and when I'm on vacation, I do not want to have to clean a big kitchen.

Kitchen island pendants seem very commonplace today. Having 8ft. ceilings and being 6'4" tall, we decided to forego pendants and stick with CREE LED ceiling mounts throughout. Not a fan of obstructionism and having to look around some inanimate object to get the view or have a conversation with person on the other side.

@debi: "How to hang them. Generally, pendants are installed 28 to 36 inches above the surface they'll light, 60 to 72 inches from the floor to the base of the shade, and 24 to 30 inches apart (in the case of multiple fixtures grouped together). In bathrooms, hang the lights at eye level. Over a kitchen island or other work zone, pendants should be mounted in a position and at a height where they'll stay out of the way. In a hallway or foyer, be sure people won't bang their heads on them."

liz357
Am I being extremely dense? I see two major walls, one shared with a pantry, the other with upper and lower cabinets, and doorways at opposite ends of the kitchen What island? It appears essentially as a galley kitchen, with short/slight extending peninsula walls and an around around the corner pantry. I don't see "island" and there isn't room for one! : )

Thank you, thank you! I am literally at a clients house as we speak trying to get her to agree to some larger, but amazing pendants from curry and company. I showed her your examples and she is sold! Maybe I should be sending you her payment for my hourly bill:)

I'm sorry, the picture isn't clear at all, I just put up the kitchen - the island is the sort of c shaped structure on the left. And, there won't be cabinets above it, that's a mistake. I'm attaching the whole thing, without decks (there are a lot on either side), and some of the stairway. I don't know how much you'll be able to see...

Liz 357,
If you aren't planning a lot of cooking, you may NOT require a hood at all . Several thoughts: There is very little cabinetry, particularly uppers, have you carefully considered storage of non food items like glassware, oils and spices... Second, where will a microwave go? Will you have island seating/stools on the back side of the island? I get the not wanting to clean....just don't undersize the kitchen w/o careful consideration. You make friends in vacation spots : )

no stools, there isn't room. There is enough storage, I measured with what we had before (tore old house down) and anything extra that isn't used often can go in the pantry. The microwave is a problem, I know. We don't have a hood in our main, non vacation, house, and don't miss one. We tried a downdraft one and it was almost worthless.So we may just do without. I think there is plenty of room to chill with friends, there are a lot of decks with good access to the kitchen, and a potential bar area I'm thinking about.

Thanks so much for your input! After seeing so many pictures of kitchens with hoods, it is liberating to know we can do without...

to help determine placement and height of a pendant, tape a balloon to the ceiling. You can adjust the string until you have the right height. Also check to make sure cabinet doors do not open into the light.

Liz357, I would like to suggest that you consult with a professional kitchen designer. In general, it is better to put the range against a wall & put a hood over it. You have room to have both a prep area & the sink on the island. It looks to me like it would be better to convert the island to a large rectangle instead of a U. This would allow for either more storage or possibly seating.

Don't forget the range from UK designer Tom Dixon...especially if you like interesting use of metals (not the usual industrial) and/or glass (green hued glass like that used on the telephone poles of the past...).

I recently redid my kitchen, adding a nine foot island. My friend had just done her kitchen and put pendants over her island. When I was in her home I noticed that when I stood at her island and conversed across the island, the lights were extremely distracting. So I opted to use ample recessed ceiling lights about my island. I am SO glad I did. It really gives an added dimension of spacial openness. It makes the room appear more grand in scope.

OOPS!! I am on of those predictable people, I guess; my new kitchen is maple and granite:0. Works well in keeping with my Cape home. Nice article, anyway! Lighting is a fun way to personalize, lots of good tips here.

I think VMMC had a great point about grease and dust (lovely combo!) - I had been thinking of a white metal spiral pendant, but reconsidered when I realised that it wouldn't look the way it does in the shop for long! I had a glass cover on a range hood once and it never looked clear, always a film of grease for the dust to stick to! So what do people think stays clean / is easy to clean / hides the kitchen muck?

maddyduke, I had that problem when hanging my own chandelier in a newly purchased home. The hole was a bit too big for the base of the chandelier. However, Lowe's and Home Depot have very inexpensive bases you can buy to cover the hole and support your pendant base. They come in white, black, metallic colors and paintable varieties. Some are fancy and some are very plain. You should be able to find something you like.

Swinging the pendulum too far with the "amping thing up" in my opinion. Why are they all so huge? Except for the smaller glass ones, these choices seem out of scale, & dominate their surroundings. Few of them integrate well with the surrounding decor, and many of them look like obvious head-bashers for someone like my 6'2" husband.

I like those big black dome, over the island lights. Do you tell where to buy them? I see only the architect's name, no supply source. Do you supply any sources from any of the products you show? Maybe I'm not looking in the right place for that information? Thank you.

I've been playing with the idea of putting this over our next house's kitchen island. Large island, 10 ft ceilings, so I don't think it would be too crazy. Our cooktop won't be located on our island, so cooking splatter is probably not an issue. If it were, I'd probably go with something like this, if I were looking for crystal.